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Pick a pumpkin at Forest Hills UMC and help feed a child in need

The Backpack Ministry fills bags with food for children in need so they don't go hungry over the weekend

Forest Hills United Methodist Church in Macon is busy filling up bags for children, but it has nothing to do with trick-or-treating.

They’re focused on filling book bags instead.

Brenda Lambert is kind of like a trick-or-treater in reverse. Every week, Brenda and her team fill book bags with food to make sure that over the weekend when school is out that children in need still have enough to eat.

“They have enough for both breakfasts on Saturday and Sunday and then at least if they need one or two meals, they’ve got protein, they’ve got fruit, they have a drink,” said Brenda Lambert, coordinator of the Backpack Ministry.

Lambert says the idea that started seven years ago.

“We were on vacation on the coast and a church bulletin... they had a little blurb about their backpack ministry, and that just spoke to my heart. I said I know in our community we have hungry children," she recalled.

From there, seven couples started packing bags for nine children at one school. Now, Lambert says they've expanded to 22 schools and over 1,600 children.

The ministry is a way to help children who otherwise wouldn’t be able to help themselves.

“When children are hungry, they can’t study [and] they get sicker. These children are so appreciative, they give hugs and say thank you,” said Lambert.

What started as a way to help a few is now growing and helping more and more children every year.

“There are hungry children. All you have to do is ask a teacher who teaches and who sees these children,” said Lambert

The backpack ministry is run strictly by donations. The school identifies the children who they believe don’t have access to enough food over the weekend.

The church's pumpkin patch will be open throughout the month. Prices vary depending on the size, but all proceeds will benefit the backpack program.

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